Mid-Century Marvel from Martinsville

The epitome of America mid-century modern design, this incredible credenza or china cabinet contrasts the natural beauty of golden glowing wood with accents of white laminate. American mid-century modern was a significant design movement stretching from 1945 through the 1960s. Influenced by European movements such as the German Bauhaus school and Scandinavian design, mid-century modern is characterized by the simplicity of its style, the extensive use of natural materials, and the lack of unnecessary embellishment, with an emphasis on craftsmanship and clean, uncluttered silhouettes. The combination of natural and man-made materials is also typical of mid-century modern.  With its compact size and stylish lines, this collectable piece of fine furniture would enhance any decor. 

Inside one of the drawer, this striking piece carries the mark of American of Martinsville. 

The back of the piece carries the model number and the designation "China," no doubt meaning it was intended as a hutch or cabinet to display your fine china or treasured trinkets.

American of Martinsville was founded in Martinsville, Virginia by former tobacco producers Ancil Witten and Charles Keesee in 1906. Sensing that the tobacco market was changing as large concerns such as R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company were expanding across the country, the two men turned manufacturing bedroom furniture under the name the American Furniture Company. By the 1920s, the company was offering a wider range of furniture, In the 1950s, now operating as American of Martinsville, it offered a variety of furniture styles, hiring in-house designers to keep up with current trends. The company gained a reputation for fine craftsmanship and sophisticated design.  It also began producing furniture for the hospitality market. 

In 2000, American of Martinsville was purchased by La-Z-Boy Incorporated, which sold it six years later. Today, the company is belongs to the Akin Furniture Group, a family-owned business in Arkansas that specializes in furniture for the hospitality and healthcare industries.  

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

3-18688

What a Gem!

 Is what you'll say when you see this joyous, jewel-encrusted purse from Texas designer Enid Collins.

The terrific tote also has a sturdy wood bottom. 

Born in 1918 and growing up in San Antonio, Enid majored in fashion design at Texas Woman’s University. She married Frederic Collins, a sculptor, in 1941. After World War II, they purchased a ranch near Medina, Texas. The first purses Enid designed were leather and brass creations made as gifts for friends or as souvenirs for local dude ranches. In 1946, Neiman Marcus began to carry the bags. Two years later, the company "Collins of Texas" was incorporated. The all-leather bags were pricey, so Enid also began producing more affordable canvas totes trimmed in leather. As orders poured in, in 1959, the Collins opened a factory in Medina. In the early sixties, Enid introduced a unique purse made from a wooden box. Her whimsical designs featured bright silkscreened images garnished with glittering jewels, golden coins, and gleaming brass. 

All of the purses designed by Enid feature her name or her initials, "EC," as found on this bag.

 

In 1970, the Collins divorced and Enid sold her copyrighted designs to the leather company, Tandy. Although Tandy continued to make bags through the 1970s, the company used only the "Collins" name or "C."

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

57-1875

Golden Glow

This handblown art glass vase seems to glow with a golden light. This type of iridescent glass is called favrile glass and it is created by adding metal oxides to molten glass. The process was patented by Louis Comfort Tiffany in 1894. Unlike other iridescent glass of the time, the glowing colors were incorporated in the glass and the piece would not lose its luster. Tiffany won a grand prize at the 1900 Paris Exposition for his favrile glass.

The unusual undulating shape is called jack-in-the-pulpit, because it resembles a flower of the same name. Although Tiffany did not create the shape, he called it jack-in-the-pulpit in his catalogs and the name came to be used for all similarly-shaped vases.

This piece is not by Tiffany, but modern American artist Steven V. Correia. Born in 1949 in San Diego, Correia has been an important figure in contemporary American art glass. In 1973, he founded Correia Art, a family-owned studio renown for using traditional glass-making techniques to create new innovative designs. In addition to his handblown glass pieces, Correia also has experimented with large-scale environmental kinetic light sculptures combining laser light, movement, and illusion. His art glass works are found in private and public collections throughout the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Corning Museum, the Smithsonian Institution,  and the Chrysler Museum of Art. In 1984, he was honored for his extraordinary accomplishments as an artist with the naming of Steven V. Correia Junior High School in San Diego. 

Under the vase's base is Correia's round paper label, as well as his etched signature. Some earlier owner also added a handwritten note "Correia Vase."

All posted items are for sale as Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

16883-3

An Artistic Encounter

This signed and numbered golden brass plaque is entitled "Encuentro," or, in English, "meeting." It is mounted on an easel of gray velvet, which is impressed with both the title of the work and the name of the artist, Lorraine Pinto.

 

The bas relief abstract image shifts and changes with the light.

The plaque is not only signed by Pinto, but is also dated "2002."

It is furthered numbered, indicating that it is the 65th of a limited edition of 100.

Lorraine Pinto was born in New York in 1933, moving to Mexico City twenty years later. There she became a figure in an artistic movement experimenting with technology and incorporating light, sound, and movement. Pinto organized the Experimental Kinetic Art Laboratory (Laboratorio Experimental de Arte Cinético) in 1964, a workspace for artists to explore technical innovations. She was a pioneer in the use of unconventional materials, such as acrylic, plastic, and neon lights. Her 1968 artwork entitled "The Fifth Dimension," which consisted of two acrylic bubbles housing multicolored acrylic blocks that pulsated with light in response to a musical composition, won the National Sculpture Award. In the 1980s, Pinto moved her focus to sculpture, drawing, and painting. She taught design at the Faculty of Architecture of UNAM and mentored students at her workshop in Mexico City.

Her works are in numerous private and public collections. Among her best known public works are her bust of diplomat and museum director Fernando Gamboa in front of the Tamayo Contemporary Art Museum in Mexico City and her 1994 "Caribbean Fantasy," a fountain featuring giant seashells and starfish in the center of Cancun. Pinto has received the Elías Sourasky Award, which is given annually to recognize persons who have made outstanding achievements in Mexican sciences, arts. and letters.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

516-4109

Spaghetti Western

"Spaghetti Western" generally refers to a genre of films featuring a mythical American Old West filmed in Italy during the 1960s and 70s. But here in our trove, we have  our own version of the Spaghetti Western, a pair  of beautiful vintage chairs by the famed Italian furniture design company Potocco recently re-upholstered with vivid images of cowboys and cattle. And, this being Next-to-New, you won't need  "A Fistful of Dollars" to purchase them!

Of beautiful wood tinted in warm tones, the clean lines and graceful curves of these chairs will suit every decor from contemporary minimalist to mid-century modern.

Founded in 1919 by Domenico Potocco, Potocco is still a family-owned business, now in the fifth generation.  Located in Manzano,  Potocco manages all stages of production at its Italian facilities, from the weaving of the fabrics to the selection and shaping of the wood. Renown for its award-winning designs featuring undulating lines and soft colors, Potocco continues its legacy of producing fine indoor and outdoor furnishings.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

9138-502

Rara Avis

This streamlined and stylized blown-glass bird with bold green stripes is a rare bird indeed.  

This little bird was made by the Finnish design company of Iittala. Iittala was founded in 1881 as a glassworks in Iittalain, Finland by Peter Magnus Abrahamson, who brought glassblowers with him from Sweden. By the late 1800s the company came under Finnish control and hired its first in-house designer in 1903. Iittala, which would later expand into ceramic and metal creations, became known for its innovative glass designs emphasizing the beauty of form and color over ornamentation.

Under its breast, the bird is etched "O. Toikka" and "Nuutajärvi." The signature is that of Oiva Toikka (1931-2019), considered one of the masters of Finnish glass design, who created his Birds by Toikka for Iittala. Today Iittala continues his legacy, its skilled artisans crafting each Toikka bird by hand. This whimsical bird represents a whip-poor-will or willow duck (in Finnish, the bird is called pajusotka, paju being the Finnish word for willow and sotka meaning a type of duck), and was created for the Birds of Passage collection from 1991 through 1997. Nuutajärvi is the Finnish city where the Iittala glassworks are located.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

5258-12089

A Fine Mess!

 We really do have a fine mess here in our trove, an authentic WWII portable mess kit set in its original olive green wooden trunk. The remains of "US" in black can be discerned on its front. Battered, but unbowed, imagine what stories this historic example of military memorabilia could tell!

Inside, neatly stored in various niches are an assortment of enamel plates, bowls, cups, a coffee pot, and a sugar bowl. 

The upper compartment, secured with a sturdy leather strap, opens to reveal not only forks, spoons, and knives, but also a can opener and potato peeler.

The flatware carries the mark of Wallace Brothers, an American company founded better known for its sterling and silver plated flatware.

The table is set. Some of the enamel pieces, like the trunk, have taken a few hits during their long military career.

The top of the trunk carries a metal label indicating the stock number and military depot of the set. Dated August 17, 1944, the trunk holding this portable mess set was made by Wheary, Incorporated. Founded in Racine, Wisconsin, in 1922, Wheary produced trunks and luggage, including footlockers, fitted trunks, and other gear for the military during WWII. The company was sold to the Hartmann Trunk Company in 1955 and closed in 1962.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

16151-1921